I noticed this image in an article on leadership.

And it struck me that articles and publications on leadership continue on a regular basis. I did a bit of research on the status of leadership in business and industry. I found this to be my preferred image representing the topic.

It does a good job of representing the differences between management and leadership. It also certainly depicts the complexity of great leadership. That is, the many and varied actions, traits and behaviors necessary to lead and manage effectively.

So aside from terminations for cause and business downsizing/involuntary turnover driven by economic fluctuations, the leading causes of voluntary employee turnover is, by many sources, laid at the feet of leadership (failures).

Fifty-two percent of exiting employees say that their manager or organization could have done something to prevent them from leaving their job. (Gallup Poll). And according to indeed.com, here are some of the major causes for employee turnover:

https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/high-employee-turnover

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the overall turnover rate is 57.3 %, but that number drops to 25% when considering only voluntary turnover, 29% when considering involuntary turnover, and just 3% when looking at only high-performers.

Almost 25%, that is huge and expensive. And considering high performers make up a very small percentage of the workforce, that turnover is insignificant as the heart of the workforce is experiencing the greatest percentage of voluntary turnover.

It Is All About Leadership!

Look at the causes of voluntary turnover, the reciprocals of those causes are the solutions!

“Join a company, quit a boss”.

***** S&E *****

Ethel was 5’1″ tall, age 23. A guy she dated, Hector, filed a domestic abuse complaint against her. He was 6’1, 220 pounds. Ethel did not have a history of finding great guys.

She solicited help from the public defenders office, the assistant district attorney (ADA). The ADA told the prosecuting attorney that if he didn’t find in Ethel’s favor and drop the case, she would look forward to taking it to court and watching the judges reaction to Ethel, 5’1″ allegedly abusing Hector, 6’1, 220 pounds.

Ethel was in the ADA office when the 6’1″, 220 pound plaintiff, Hector, walked in the building. He passed the ADA in the hallway. The ADA immediately hunted down two police offers in the building and told them that the guy smelled like a marijuana joint. The cops approach the guy, gained entry to his car and told the ADA that there was smoking joint in the car. Hector was arrested for possession and the prosecuting attorney dropped the case against Ethel.

You just can’t make that stuff up… : < )

***** S&E *****

Feedback is given in a variety of situations. Some examples are for performance reviews at work, soliciting behavior changes, and social interaction and parenting, to name a few. Feedback usually seeks a desired response which is sought by the one providing the feedback. The response could be verbal or behavioral.

Responses to feedback can be varied depending on how it was given and how it was received. Some factors that affect responses are tone (verbal or written), the message itself, and body language. Also if the the sender and receiver have a history of interactions on a regular or occasional basis, the quality of those interactions can also affect the current message and response.

Generally a message is always intended to solicit a response/feedback. So if a positive reaction or response is desired, the feedback needs to be given in such a way that:

It is given with genuine interest, care, and integrity.

It should not be just negative.

It can be both positive and negative.

It needs to be given in such a way that it provides an opportunity for improvement and response.

A consultant I used to retain for leadership meetings provided some of the advice above. She also reinforced the fact that when something goes awry in a relationship, organization or social situation, 90 percent of the time it can be traced to inappropriate, poor, inaccurate, or an absence of communications.

***** S&E *****

There is no doubt in this blogger’s mind that a degree from a college or university adds value for the graduate. It enhances critical thinking, analytical ability, and in many cases is valuable in “getting your foot in the door” for employment opportunities.

Taking a look back over 34 years in human resources, domestic and international work and locations, the performance graph for degreed employees is not a straight line relationship with having a college degree. That is, a degree is no guarantee of competitive, professional success. If anything I would suggest that looking at a meaningful universe of degreed professionals, the relationship of success and earnings to degrees may be closer to a bell shaped curve.

And in balance, there are definitely earnings opportunities that come with other than a university degree, when one chooses a skilled trade or technical school degree or certification.

Thoughts for this blog entry come from an interesting article from CNN Business, “Perspectives”. https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/13/perspectives/college-degrees-careers-roslansky-auguste/index.html

The perspective for the CNN article is driven by the changing employment environment employers have and are facing in recent years.

Of course I would have to cite my opinion on the value of behavioral competencies related to professional success. No matter the type or level of education, absent competencies like integrity, hard work, intellectual rigor, team work, professional presence, analytical ability humor, good judgment, kindness, and others, there is not much chance of building a successful career or business.

***** S&E *****